Balance and
Motion
Investigation 1: Balance
arch
A curved shape.
balance
To stay in a position
without being held.
balance point
The place on which an
object balances.
clothespin
A clip of wood or plastic for fastening
clothes on a clothesline.
counterweight
Something that helps to balance an
object.
crayfish
A freshwater shellfish.
mobile
A system of balance
beams and objects.
object
Anything that can be seen or
touched; a thing.
position
The place where a
person or thing is.
stable
Steady; not falling over.
system
A set of objects that are related in some
way and can be isolated for study; a group of things or parts that form a
whole.
triangle
A three-sided shape.
unstable
When something is not steady
and falls over.
weight
How heavy something is.
wire
A bendable metallic strand
or rod.
Investigation 2: Spinners
air resistance
The force of air pushing on something.
axis
A straight line around which
something rotates.
disk
An object that is a circle in only one
direction and can fall over; a disk can be a
wheel.
knot
To firmly tie two pieces of material together.
motion
The act of moving.
When something moves.
rotate
To turn in circles a lot of times; to spin.
shaft
Something that acts as an axis.
spin
To turn by turning around an axis.
To turn in circles a lot of times; to rotate.
swirl
To spin or twist around and around.
top
A toy that spins.
twirl
To spin in the air.
twirler
A flying spinner.
twist
To wind or turn something
around.
whirl
To move or turn around quickly or suddenly.
wing
The moveable appendages that birds and other
animals use to fly.
zoomer
A toy made from a plastic disk and a piece
of string; it spins around when tension is
released from the twisted string.
Investigation 3: Rollers
axle
A rod or shaft to which wheels can
be attached.
loop
An opening that is made by curving a
piece of material into a circle.
ramp
An object that has a slope.
runway
A path over which
something moves or lands.
slope
A surface that is higher on one
end.
sphere
An object that is round in all
directions and rolls in all directions.
spiral
To move in a circular motion around a fixed center point.
wheel
An object that is a circle in only one
direction and can fall over; a wheel is a
disk.
force
A push or a pull.
gravity
A force that pulls things toward
the Earth.
pitch
How high or low a sound is.
roll
To move by turning over and over.
When a wheel goes around on its edge.
stable position
Steady, not falling over.
vibration
A fast back and forth motion.
Vibration makes sound.
volume
How loud or soft a sound
is.